, 1887-12-29

western Washington. Much OF the
best land In the territory Is included
In Indian reservations. The re mort
says: "As Is noted elsewhere, there
are set apart for the uses of this race
in Washington territory more than
four millions of acres. or these
about eleven-twelfthsa are on the east
ern side OF the mountains, and IL is
accordingly In that quarter that CON-
plants are most common. In the
county OF Yakima 100000 acres are
reserved In the heart OF the district
exceedingly easy to irrigate, and
once irrigated, fertile In the highest
degree. That this district would be
speedily settled, II thrown open
entry to entry, will hardly admit OF
doubt. The Columbia or Moses res
ervati0n, comprising more than two
and a quarter millions of acres, has
recently been thrown open to entry,
and Is already though comparatively
remote, beginning to be settled. On
the western side OF the mountains
the Indian acreage Is very small.
The tracts are, however, In general
very desirable"
Large individual landholders are
not 80 com mmon In the territory as
to cause general complaint. There
are, however, districts In which the
possessions OF nonresident rich men
are sufficient to be distasteful TO the
settlers who live In the neighbor-
hood, and who view with dismay
the policy Of locking up these tracts
for another generation. In Lewis
and Whatcom counties there Is dis
content on this score. But while 1t
In r,rnhu bla thot ho koo,,
In some degree, retarded by the
that the progress Of settlement has
been encouraging. A marked In.
crease IL seen in the sums received
the last twelve months over those
received the previous twelve months
from the public lands, the Yakima
Office reporting in this q gain of
more than $S5,000. Returns received
at this writing from four of the Ave
land Offices OF the territory show
net increase OF more than $120, 900 In
that time. From the same returns
IL Is found that there Is an increase
OF about rs per cent. In the home.
stead final proofs.
While all accounts agree that the
choicest lands are now taken, there
yet remains q very great deal of ex-
celient land for entry under the vari.
GUS laws of the United States. The
territory therefore offers great in
ducements to settlers In its govern.
ment land as we'll as In Its climate and
soil. Thus far, too, we have had
reason to congratulate Ourselvt upon
the character of the immigrants.
Nearly all OF these are ofa superior
class Of settlers, for few that under
take to remove to part OF the cOun.
try as distant as this will do so
without ample means for the vicis.
situGes Of at least two seasons
Thus distance, while II has probably
caused many to stay away, has, at
the same time, benefited us i'm those
that came.
COMMERCE AND RAILWAYS.
Under this head the report says:
"The pas. two years have been the
most important in the history OF
railway enterprise in Washington
territory. Within that period the
Northern Pacific Iailrosd has com.
pleted its line across the Cascade
mountains, the Canadian Pacific has
been finished, and the Oregon 4
California has been pushed with 80
much energy as to have now only 20
miles unfinished.
To Washington territory the COM
pletiCn of these great trunk lines is
of the utmost importance. The loss
Of either one OF them would now be
seriously felt. In the completion Of
the Northern Pacific across the Cas-
cade mountains the territory has
been freed from disadvantage
which was very great, and which
seems not to have been appreciated
elsewhere. 1t was generally known,
indeed, that direct communication
by rail could be had from the east |
with eastern Washington territory,
or with Puget Sound; but It IL much |
less commonly known that neither |
Puget Sound nor eastern Washing.
ton territory had direct communi-
cation with each other. This, how.
ever, was the case. From Ellens-
burg to Tacoma or Seattle Is Il dis
tance that requires now a few hOurs'
ride, but IL Is no more than few
months since person, jOurneying
from one of these places to the other,
was compelled to expend nearly O
day and half In doing so.
The same, in a greater or less de-
gree, was true of all the eastern half
of the territory. The consequence
was that much the greater part of
the people OF the two districts re-
nafned strangers to each other, and
we're far better acquainted with the
society and the trade of Oregon
han with that of their own COM
Their only communi-
,ation with Puget Sound or with the
world beyond was by way Of Port.
and"